497

March 10th-the patient menstruated, for the first time fornearly three years, and continued to do so regularly on the18th of each month until August, when she ceased, andsymptoms of pregnancy soon after made their appearance.The pregnancy was verified about the end of the fifthmonth, and has, up to the present, run a perfectly normalcourse, the patient being in most excellent health.Liverpool, March 7th.

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES.

(From our own Correspondent.)

NEWUA8TLE U.HILDREN8 .HU81’ITAL.

THE annual meeting of the Newcastle Hospital for SickChildren was held last week. The Mayor presided, and itwas stated that the work done during the past year was ofthe most useful character, the number of new cases treatedbeing: in-patients, 137; cut-patients, 2311 ; the latter in-volving no less than 6173 attendances. The total cost perhead for four weeks (this being the duration of an in-

patient’s letter) has been £2 9s. 8 3/4d. This has been anincrease on previous years; but as all costs have beenincluded, the increase is due to necessary building repairs.Allusion was made to the progress of the new building inthe suburbs, named, in reference to the munificence of oneof our citizens, the " Fleming Memorial Hospital."

NEWCASTLE ROYAL INFIRMARY.

The workmen of the firm of Lord Armstrong and Mitchellhave contributed over X600 during the past year to thefunds of the Royal Infirmary, and as each £10 per annum,by the new rules, qualifies for one governor, this importantfirm-indeed, it might be called " arsenal"-will send no lessthan sixty-six governors to the infirmary. It is pleasant tosee the best classes of our artisans taking an intelligentinterest in an institution from which they have derived somuch benefit.

SUNDERLAND.

At a meeting of the Victoria Hall Calamity Fund, held atSunderland on Monday, a sub-committee was formed totake steps to have the statue now ready in the sculptor’s studio set up in the porch of the Winter Garden. At thesame meeting the General Committee voted a sum of X50 tothe Sunderland Infirmary for the purpose of sending childrento convalescent homes, and, further, a sum of £825 to theChildren’s Hospital. Although these sums are out of theinterest of this fund, and are voted for this year only, theywill in all probability be continued.

DURHAM.

A letter has been received from the Local GovernmentBoard with reference to the reduction of the salary of themedical officer of the Durham Rural Sanitary Authorityfrom £150 to £100. The Board request to be furnished withthe exact reasons for the reduction, and point out that theappointment at the reduced salary was premature, havingbeen made on terms not approved by the Board. In replyto this the Local Sanitary Authority has agreed to furnishthe Board with a census of the district, which it is expectedwill show a decrease of population. Mr. Blackett, who isat present Mayor of Durham, is the medical officer.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE NORTH.

In Newcastle during the past fortnight, only twenty-sixcases of infectious diseases have been reported by practi-tioners to the medical officer of health, Mr. H. E. ArmstrongThis gentleman has made an elaborate and exhaustive reporlin reference to the late outbreak of scarlet fever in thJesmond district of the city. The milk supply was fullyinvestigated, but he states that he has been unable t(trace its connexion in any way with the outbreakThere has been a rather serious outbreak of measlesat Tynemouth, and some of the schools are closed inconsequence. The presence of small-pox in some part!of Yorkshire and Lancashire has caused no little alarm icadjoining counties, but so far there has been no outbreakalthougti we hear of isolated cases-one at Seaham Ilarbouico. Durham. The case has evidently been imported frotSpain, as the vessel sailed direct from Bilbao, where thdisease is prevalent, and the patient became ill on thvoyage. Another case, which has proved fatal at Carlislthas been imported from Manchester.

NEEDLES IN A WOMAN’S BODY.At intervals during the last few months, twenty needles,

mostly about an inch and a half in length, have beenextracted from the body of a woman in tne Guisborough(North Yorkshire) Workhouse. She suffers from epilepticfits, and she states that some years ago she had a severeillness, and had mustard poultices placed all over her body,which were fastened tightly round with needles, and shethinks that a quantity must then have penetrated her body.Newcastle-on-Tyne, March 6th.

EDINBURGH.

(From our own Correspondent.)

ROYAL MEDICAL SOCIETY.

THE annual banquet of the Royal Medical Society, mark-ing the close of the 154th year of its existence, was heldon March lst, when a large and representative gatheringassembled to do honour to the occasion. The chair was

occupied by Dr. W. A. Turner, the senior President for the

year, on whose right sat Dr. Lauder Brunton of London, theguest of the evening. After the usual loyal and patriotictoasts, which were warmly responded to, Dr. Brunton pro-posed the toast of the " Royal Medical Society," and statedthat precisely twenty-one years ago he had occupied the-post so ably filled by the senior President on this occasion.This naturally led to an interesting comparison which heestablished between the Edinburgh of a generation ago andthe Edinburgh of to-day. In speaking of the greatdevelopment that has occurred in the school, he re-

ferred to several of the teachers and thinkers whosework has done much to spread its great reputation,and specially commented on the work of Keith in ovario-tomy, Lister in surgery, and that of Fraser and Crum Brownin regard to antipyretics. Turning now to consider the-Royal Medical Society, he showed how it was that this in-stitution, influencing the ripening minds of senior studentsof medicine, possessed so great a power of implantingoriginality of thought, just as it also cultivated ease andclearness of exposition. In both respects he expressed hisown great indebtedness to the Society. He hoped theleading men of the school in the present day would like-wise keep in mind their indebtedness to the Society, andwould do their utmost to prevent any encroachment on itsuseful functions, In responding to the toast, the seniorPresident was able to give a very satisfactory statement ofthe present condition of the Society. About 100 ordinarymembers are on the roll this session, and of these aboutthirty or forty take an active part in the public business ofthe Society. Financially, the Society is in a flourishingcondition, and its large library is increasing, and is carefullypreserved. A number of other toasts followed, interspersedwith quasi-medical and professional songs, for which Edin-burgh has a deservedly high reputation ; and at the close,when " Floreat res Medica" was duly honoured, according toancient custom, it was generally felt that never had theanniversary dinner been more enjoyable or more distin-guished than on the present occasion.

ROYAL EDINBURGH ASYLUM.

The annual meeting of the subscribers to this institutionwas held last week, when, in addition to the usual business,.a very interesting report was submitted by Dr. Clouston,.physician superintendent of the asylum. During 1887

. 365 patients have been admitted and 282 discharged, in all1158 having been under treatment during the year. An

, important addition is about to be made to the establishment, in the shape of a new department expressly built for high--i class patients, and to be added to the fine old mansion

house of Craig Hall, once the residence of John Hill Burton,.which has been in the hands of the managers for some

, years. In his report Dr. Clouston shows how marked has,

been the effect of an improved system of nursing and ofrecent reconstruction of premises and sanitary improve-

} ments in reducing the death-rate of the institution. Thereport has created great satisfaction amongst those directly,

" interested in the welfare of the asylum.Edinburgh, March 7th.